Deborah Hopkinson

THE GHOST MAP for kids! Here is the story of Dr. John Snow, who located the source of London's cholera outbreak in 1854 to the contaminated Broad Street water pump.

Henderson's moody, gas-lamp illustrations, in graphite, charcoal, and digital color, perfectly suit the historical, detective nature of the story.

Excellent back matter includes a capsule biography of Snow, "The Case Against the Broad Street Pump," major infectious diseases (including COVID) and their causes, internet resources, books about Dr. Snow, and books for young readers about epidemics (e.g. Fever 1793).… (more)

A young boy witnesses his community come together to save a neighbor's farm in this work of picture book historical fiction, set in the American Midwest during the hot summer of 1933. When Miss Elsie's strawberry farm is threatened with foreclosure, because she can no longer make her payments to the bank, the people in Davey's small town decide to hold a penny auction, keeping the price low enough that she can afford to buy it again. Davey, who for his part had been thinking of spending the penny he earned at the general store while carrying Miss Elsie's bags, uses the special coin to launch the auction...

I originally sought out Saving Strawberry Farm because I found it on a list of picture books about the Fourth of July, which just recently passed. As it happens, although the story is set around the holiday, and although Davey's family plans at one point to hold a Fourth of July picnic, the book is not really concerned with this topic, and is more about the ravages of the Great Depression on a midwestern farming community. I found the story here engaging, and thought it was interesting to see a picture book about a penny auction. That said, I didn't find myself as emotionally involved as I expected to be, and I'm not sure why. This is the fifth picture book I have read from author Deborah Hopkinson, and with the exception of her A Letter To My Teacher, I find that I enjoy her work, but that it doesn't make a deep impression on me. I have similar feelings about illustrator Rachel Isadora, whose work I have encountered in a number of picture books. With the exception of her illustrations for Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl, I have found her work pleasant, but not especially memorable. Tastes vary of course, so other readers and listeners may have stronger positive reactions. I'd recommend this one to picture book audiences that enjoy historical fiction, and to anyone seeking children's stories about the Great Depression.… (more)

Young Marcia Shaw is growing up in a wealthy family in 19th century America - and she thinks she's talented at everything. She’s always wanting to bestow her gifts on her family. When Fannie Farmer comes to work for her family, Marcia is at first jealous of Fannie’s cooking skills. That is, until Fannie develops a cookbook with written instructions that Marcia uses to make really good food. Charmingly illustrated to depict 19th century life and inspired by the real Fannie Farmer, who is sometimes considered the inventor of the modern recipe.… (more)